Feasibility Study Of ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT Imaging For Detection Of Microcalcification In Atherosclerotic Plaque

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT imaging in detecting Microcalcification of atherosclerotic plaques,and to find an appropriate method for early detection of atherosclerotic calcification.Research methods:a total of 20 male New Zealand white rabbits,weighing about3.5kg,were fed and fed freely.20 animals were numbered.All animals were drawn blood before the experiment.After 2 weeks of high-fat feeding,the atherosclerotic model was established by balloon injury+intermittent high-fat feeding.The rats were fed with high fat for twenty-second weeks,and all the surviving animals were examined by ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT imaging and 2 times of blood sampling for twenty-second weeks.The blood test items were:total cholesterol?TC?and triglyceride?TG?,matrix metalloproteinase 9?MMP-9?,hs-CRP,creatinine?Scr?,blood calcium?Ca?.Before PET/CT imaging,the morphological imaging method was used to evaluate the formation of plaque.Ultrasound examination was used to select plaques.Pathological changes and immunohistochemical staining were taken to detect the lesion location and adjacent normal parts.Calcification staining was performed.The correlation between ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT imaging and pathological and immunohistochemical parameters,as well as the location of lesion and the adjacent normal areas were compared.The feasibility of ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT in detecting microcalcification in atherosclerotic plaques was systematically explored.Results:there was a significant difference between the SUVmean of ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT and the SUVmean of adjacent normal tissues ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT?0.75±0.08vs 0.12±0.06P<0.05?After 22 weeks,the total cholesterol?TC?and triglyceride?TG?levels in the fashion survival animals were significantly higher than those before the operation[?4.11±0.22vs 12.46±0.98?,?1.03±0.15vs 6.78±0.43?P<0.05)].There were no significant differences in matrix metalloproteinase 9?MMP-9?,hs-CRP,creatinine?Scr?and serum calcium?Ca?levels in the experimental animals which survived 22 weeks after operation[?0.423±0.039vs 0.428±0.055?,?0.457±0.068vs 0.340±0.024?,?97.24±2.41vs99.50±2.59?,?2.42±0.22vs 2.69±0.28?P>0.05].The correlation between SUVmean of¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT and cumulative density of CD68 macrophages was analyzed.There was a positive correlation between r=0.841 and P<0.05.The correlation between SUVmean and MMP9 cumulative optical density of lesion sites was analyzed,r=0.597,P<0.05,two.There was a positive correlation between the two.The correlation between the SUVmean of ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT and the percentage of positive area of alizarin red in the lesion area was positively correlated with r=0.642,P<0.05 and the two.Conclusion:¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT as a molecular tracer can well display the micro calcification accumulation area in the micro calcification accumulation area,and the accumulation of macrophages and MMP-9,indicating that the microcalcification is obviously associated with the enhancement of inflammatory response ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT has the potential to detect and detect microcalcification tracers in atherosclerosis.